Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup is blended with ground turmeric, ginger, and coconut milk for a warm and comforting meal. (vegan and gluten-free)

It finally feels like fall in California!

As soon as November 1st arrived, we had a full day of rain and it’s been cold ever since. I was afraid to say anything sooner out of fear that I might jinx it somehow but it’s looking like it’s here to stay. Woo-hoo!

Now I can actually cozy up with a blanket while I eat my soup. :)

Because you know I’ve been eating soup since September, right? I wasn’t about to wait two months for California to figure out what season it was.

It’s just so comforting and I like that it forces me to slow down when I eat it. I might have a tiny problem with inhaling my food.

Anyways, I’ve been making soup at least once a week and this Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup is my latest creation. I based it off of one of my favorite recipes, Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup, using similar spices like curry, ginger, and turmeric paired with creamy coconut milk.

I decided to go with acorn squash because it’s slightly less sweet than butternut and I thought it would balance well with the apples.

I find that acorn squash is a little bit harder to peel and chop so I decided to roast it instead of boil it in the pot. I know roasting it might sound like a lot of work but it’s actually pretty easy.

After you slice of the top, you cut in half, clean out the seeds, rub it with a little bit of oil and then bake it in the oven face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for about 45 minutes.

While that’s roasting, you can chop up your other vegetables and saute them in the pot with the spices. Then once the squash is done, all you have to do is scoop the flesh out into the pot with the other ingredients.

From there you add the vegetable broth and cook for about 15 minutes, stir in the coconut milk and blend everything until together until smooth and then it’s ready to serve!

It has a luxuriously creamy texture and the flavor is a perfect balance of savory with a touch of sweetness from the apples, ginger and coconut milk. Plus you get a little anti-inflammatory boost from the turmeric too!

It’s simple enough to make for a quite dinner at home but it also looks gorgeous topped with a little swirl of coconut milk and pomegranate arils, making it pretty enough to serve for the holidays.

Either way, I think it’s sure to be a new favorite. I hope you guys love this one as much we do!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice the top stem off of the acorn squash then cut it in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and softer pieces then rub the outer edges of the flesh with 1 teaspoon of oil. Place each half facing down onto the baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Once the squash is done, turn off the oven and set it aside to cool.

Meanwhile, warm the two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, celery and carrot then sprinkle with salt. Allow to cook for another 3 minutes.

Next, add the apples, turmeric, curry and ginger then stir together and cook for 5 more minutes. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh of the roasted acorn squash out into the pot and then stir together. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a low boil, cooking for another 15 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the coconut milk. Puree the soup by using an immersion blender in the pot or wait for it to cool down and then transfer it to a blender. Blend until smooth then transfer back to the pot to reheat, if needed.

Divide the soup into separate bowls then garnish with a swirl of coconut milk, salt & pepper, and pomegranate arils. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Hi Sarah,
This morning was chilly and frosty as I walked Daisy (my amazing, awesome dog). So, soup is definitely on my mind. This one looks so yummy and nutritious.
Have a great day!
Nancy

I see acorn squash at the store all the time and I”m pretty sure it’s the only squash I’ve never tried. They’re so cute, though, so I want to buy them. I need more excuses to use my immersion blender, so this looks awesome.

I am SO glad it finally feels like fall over there on the West Coast! Yay to that! Hopefully it means you will be posting more seriously cozy and delicious soups like this one! This soup is calling my name, my dear! Roasted acorn squash + Apples + Coconut milk?? YYAAASSS! Your photos are so gorgeous – I looove the pomegranate on top! Pinned! Cheers! <3

Thanks Cheyanne!

I love the weather on the West coast – here in Georgia we are in the 50’s – with lows in the 30s this weekend – which makes me wonder – what happened to fall? :)
It’s weather like this that makes me crave “happy” soups like this – so much flavor from the veggies/fruit and spices – and so comforting and warming!

I’ve never thought to add parsnips before I can imagine they give it a wonderful texture. I’ll have to try that sometime!

I’m with you on soup! I love a big bowl of soup full of veggies with some warm, crusty bread on the side…. especially now that it’s actually autumn weather! Woohoo! I mentioned the cooler weather in my post today too :)

And it rained today too! Hopefully you got some!

I have a recipe almost identical to this but it uses roasted butternut squash. I’ll have to give it a shot with acorn. Acorn squash is one of my favorites. I’ve been eating it like 5 times a week for breakfast.

I’ve never had acorn squash soup, but it sounds amazing, especially when paired with apple. Oh and I love the step by step photos–they’re super helpful even though they’re a total pain to take (or at least I think they are).

I’ve been doing the step-by-step photos since day one so I think I’m immune to it at this point. The only drawback is that I have to make everything when there’s daylight so I can’t prep anything the night before. :/

I adore squash based soups, especially when they’re paired with apples and warming spices. That being said, I’ve never had acorn squash before, and I kind of feel like I’m missing out! I saw that you guys got rain today :) Time to bust out the sweaters and boots?!

YES! I’m so excited to finally cozy up in a big warm sweater and cute boots. :)

This looks so velvety smooth and incredibly creamy! So comforting and healthy :)

How did you get that beautiful white swirl in your soup?! This looks soo good! Thanks for this recipe, I recently got into eating acorns squash but I only prepare it one way. I roast it and fill it with some sauteed veggies, then stick it in the oven for a bit more. Can’t wait to try this recipe

Oh yes, I love stuffed acorn squash too. It’s so good!

I keep finding myself saying “I’m so glad it’s cold!” The weather is so great (knock-knock) and I hope it stays that way too. Yay for boots, scarves and all the soup we can eat! This is one beautiful bowl I’d love to curl up with. :)

Stunning photographs and an incredibly delicious recipe! Pinning! :)

Thank you, Lauren! :)

Oh my gaaaah this soup really does look like luxury in a bowl. I love the squash and apple combo forever and am all about creamy coconut milk in my fall soups. Bring on that blanket and a bottomless bowl…so like, a cauldron! I’m so happy we’re finally getting some weather now…wish we could slurp on this soup and sip on winter cocktails while watching the snow fall!

Thanks Hillary! I used regular coconut milk. Light coconut milk would also work but I don’t like the flavor as much. I hope that helps! :)

Certainly does! Thanks for the quick response. I picked up an acorn (and butternut and the last of the summer squash!) at the farmers market a couple weeks back. Made skinny tastes butternut squash lasagna (wow!) and was looking for an acorn recipe. This popped up in the vegetArian meal plans on roasted root. I love your collaborative meal plans!!! They are great, please keep them coming!

I added a fresh jalapeno to the veggies while they cooked — it was just enough kick but not too much for most. I loved the recipe — it’s a keeper for me!

Rating: 5

Thanks for the review, Charley!

So I used this recipe as a base but I substituted the carrots and celery for a sweet potato and used rice milk instead of coconut milk because that’s what I already had in the kitchen. As can be expected it was a little less creamy, but it still tasted great! I added a lot of chili powder for a nice kick and called it a day. One of these days I’ll make this using the coconut milk, but until then I’m super satisfied with the way it turned out ❤️